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Air Elemental
|rarity = Rare |casting_cost = |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +10% To Hit Invisibility Poison Immunity Stoning Immunity Weapon Immunity }} The Air Elemental is a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. Air Elementals belong to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. This can only be done during battles however, and the Elementals disappear automatically once combat ends. Air Elementals are Invisible and have an incredible speed. They are the fastest units in the game, which allows them to maneuver easily behind the enemy lines and attack the weaker units in the rear. They also have a formidable , and decent defensive characteristics. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description The Air Elemental is a sentient being comprised entirely of air. It is shaped as a funnel of ranging winds, and thus can barely be seen with a naked eye until it is very close. The creature's existence and its ability to receive commands are entirely bestowed by magic. The Air Elemental is a . Attack Properties The Air Elemental possesses only a Melee Attack, with the mid-range rating of . With an inherent bonus, this attack delivers points of on average. It has no other special effects, though it is still quite dangerous to low-level Normal Units. Of course, the secret to properly using this attack lies in the Air Elemental's ability to sneak up on most units, attacking them, and then retreating to complete safety, as explained below. Defensive Properties Thanks to being entirely comprised of air, the Air Elemental has a remarkably high Defense score of , allowing it to block about points from any Conventional Damage attack, on average. It also possesses the Weapon Immunity ability, which raises this further to whenever it is attacked by a Normal Unit wielding only . However, this does not apply against Heroes or Fantastic Units, nor against units with enchanted or upgraded weapons, such as those conferred by or an Alchemists' Guild. The creature's Invisibility also affects its defensive capabilities. Whenever attacked by an enemy unit, it inflicts a penalty on that unit, decreasing the amount of it takes on average. More importantly however, units without Illusions Immunity are completely incapable of launching Ranged Attacks of any kind against the Elemental, even if its location can be pinpointed to them by other units. Together with the Weapon Immunity explained above, these traits make the Air Elemental especially potent against Normal Units. Furthermore, Air Elementals possess a Resistance score of , making it very difficult to inflict Unit Curses and other ill effects upon them. They are also completely immune to both petrification and Poison Damage attacks. Unfortunately though, Air Elementals only have . Therefore, attacks that do cause a lot of and/or can get past their special abilities will destroy them fairly easily. Other Properties Air Elementals are exceptionally quick on the battlefield, moving at a rate of per turn. They are the fastest units in the game - their speed can only be surpassed by units or Heroes wielding powerful Magical Items. This mobility allows the Air Elemental to quickly maneuver into position to attack enemy units, and to evade enemies easily. This is further aided by the Air Elemental's Invisibility. The opponent can normally not see the Air Elemental's position - unless it is immediately adjacent to one of their units. Because of this, it can easily get behind the enemy lines to attack the weaker units in the rear. This makes the Air Elemental exceptionally useful for getting rid of powerful-but-soft enemy units - especially Normal Units. However, this advantage is lost if any of the opposing units possess Illusions Immunity, which will reveal the position of the Elemental to the entire enemy force. Basic Tactics The Air Elemental is one of the best units available for quickly getting rid of enemy Ranged Attackers, such as Bowmen or Magicians. As long as it is not detected, it may freely move towards any unit, attack it, and retreat to safety. It is exceptionally powerful against Normal Units, and is also mostly expendable: it will disappear at the end of the battle anyway. However, it does have a rather high summoning cost, and may thus not be the best choice for suicide tasks. Enemy Air Elementals Although Wizards may only summon Air Elementals for the duration of single battles, as Fantastic Units they are sometimes featured as permanent guardians in and other Encounter Zones. Furthermore, they may lead Rampaging Monster groups to attack player-owned cities! Air Elementals are often found in groups of two or three, and supported by large numbers of Phantom Warriors. They may also accompany other, stronger units. Air Elementals should be confronted by other Fantastic Creatures, or experienced and well-equipped Heroes. Their combination of abilities presents a significant threat to most mixed armies, as short of slaying them outright, there is little that can prevent them from flanking around an army and attacking the ranged units in the rear. If they can't be intercepted or shot down, it may be beneficial to leave any ranged- or weaker melee units out of the battle entirely if at all possible, as this will force the Elementals themselves to choose targets that they can't destroy or seriously injure. Ability Overview +10% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Invisibility * During combat, this unit is only visible to the opponent when it moves adjacently to an enemy unit. While undetected, it may not be directly targeted by spells. * This unit may not be targeted by Ranged Attacks, and any Melee Attacks against it suffer a penalty. * Enemies with Illusions Immunity see through this effect, and will both reveal the unit's position without being adjacent to it, and themselves be able to attack it as normal. Poison Immunity * This unit cannot be hurt by Poison Damage. It will automatically pass any roll to avert such damage. Stoning Immunity * This unit cannot be petrified by Stoning Damage. It will automatically pass any roll to avert such damage. Weapon Immunity * This unit is considered to have a Defense score of against attacks made by Normal Units with . The Summoning Spell Usage Air Elemental may only be cast in combat, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the game will prompt for an unoccupied tile to be selected on the combat map, where the Air Elemental unit will then appear, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. Since it does not carry over to the overland map, there is no Upkeep Cost associated with either the spell or the unit itself, which will automatically disappear at the end of the battle - along with any Unit Enchantments that may have been cast on it. It is not possible to manually dismiss the Air Elemental unit during combat, nor is it possible to use dispel type spells to remove it from play - the Summoning Spell itself dissipates immediately after casting. Acquisition As a Rare Spell of the Realm, Air Elemental may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbooks. With any less, the spell can not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Air Elemental to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with books), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, Conjurer, and/or Sorcery Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Air Elemental may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. Permanent Summoning Trick Disclaimer: This trick appears to violate the game designers' intent, and it cannot be guaranteed that its use won't destabilize the game. summoned to your Summoning Circle using the spell.]] If you MUST have an Air Elemental for your army garrisoned in one of your Towns, you can enter a battle with the intention of losing (not winning). You will need to know the and the Air Elemental spells. Enter a battle and summon the Air Elemental(s) that you want for your army. Use on the Elementals. You can continue the battle to the maximum number of turns, flee the battle (with the risk of losing any units that you have in the battle), or recall any remaining units as well. This brings your units back to the Summoning Circle and you now have one or more Air Elementals that require a per turn Upkeep Cost. This does not work if you win the battle. Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Sorcery